A former soldier has pleaded guilty to a racist assault on a man of Asian heritage after chasing him down the street with two umbrellas and using a racial slur.
Robert Browne, 56, pleaded guilty on Thursday at Tameside magistrates court to racially/religiously aggravated common assault/beating on 26 July this year after a video showed him hurling racist abuse at a man and striking him with umbrellas. A second charge was withdrawn.
The victim of the attack, Shabir Makim, 40, a teacher, was assaulted and verbally abused after he intervened when the attacker and another man became involved in a heated exchange with a homeless man who was begging.
Makim filmed the incident because he was worried it was going to escalate. The homeless man was begging outside a Tesco store in Cheadle, Greater Manchester.
Browne became angry with Makim for filming the incident and began to pursue him down the street brandishing two umbrellas, which struck Makim on the sides of his head.
Makim shared the video with friends and family in a WhatsApp group and one of them posted it on social media. It received 1.5m views on Twitter.
In the video, Browne can be seen repeatedly hurling racist abuse at Makim. “When he chased me he was trying to take my eyes out with the umbrellas,” said Makim. “I turned my head away and doctors found lumps on both sides of my head and diagnosed me with concussion.
“After the incident I felt very low, I was a mess. I was in a state of high alert and was looking at every single bald white man in case it was him. I have become so worried about my wife and kids that I want to leave the country, although I’m born and bred in Cheadle. I’m a teacher but I don’t feel I belong here any more.”
In a victim impact statement to the court, Makim wrote: “This traumatic event and the violent actions of the attacker have left me deeply scarred. I now feel unsafe when going out, I have lost my confidence massively and I now suffer from anxiety. I thought I’d overcome these feelings over time, but unfortunately I am constantly on high alert and on edge wherever I go.”
“I cannot change the colour of my skin; all I can do is hide, but this is not a way to live. I am a professional and have continuously given back to the local community.
“I have spent my career teaching the youth, particularly those from different ethnic backgrounds, to be proud of being British. But this racist incident has shaken me to my core to the point that I feel I do not belong here and will never be accepted for who I am – no matter how much I have invested into this society. It is a truly heartbreaking and painful realisation.”
